Water-operated oscillator



June 6, 1961 Filed Oct. 22, 1958 F. H. GOYETTE ET AL WATER-OPERATEDOSCILLATOR 22 FIG.|

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS E HENRY GOYETTE ROGER E. BEDARD ATTORNEYJunefi, 1961 F. H. GOYETTE ETAL 2,987,051

WATER-OPERATED OSCILLATOR Filed Oct. 22, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTORSF. HENRY GOYETTE ROGE R E. BEDARD ATTORNEY Patgnt :2

2,987,051 WATER-OPERATED OSCILLATOR Francis Henry Goyette, Worcester,and Roger E. Bedard,

West Boylston, Mass., assignors to Lodding Engineering Corporation,Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Oct. 22, 1958,Ser. No. 768,924

'5 Claims. (Cl. 121-123) This invention relates to a new and improvedreciprocating power means in the form of a water, or similar fluid,operated oscillating device which is particularly adapted for use in thepaper-making industry where water is available and in fact machinery isoften operated in a moist atmosphere which is deleterious to the use ofelectric motors and mechanical reciprocators and oscillators; and one ofthe advantages of the present invention resides in the fact that thepresent device continues in operation for long periods of time, withoutany failure and Without any attention whatsoever on the part of theoperator; it is easily controlled as to speed of reciprocation merely byadjusting a hand valve controlling the water pressure directed theretoand it is so sturdy and rugged that it may itself carry the shower pipesfor paper-making machinery or the doctors therefor, and furthermore, asin head box showers, the oscillator may be provided with a support whichallows the same to rock as well as reciprocate.

Other objects and advantages reside in the provision of a device of theclass described which is particularly adapted to water usage underconditions of continuous moisture and wherein space requirements are ata premium; the whole assembly of the present device only has to beserviced about once a month if at all to be kept in continuousoperation; the entire device is a unit; first cost, upkeep and failureare small; furthermore, a valve may be changed if need arises in fiveminutes or less by a simple actuation of the parts describedhereinafter, and the power may be derived from an electric or other pumpat a remote point for re-circulation and saving of the fluid, althoughthe amount needed is relatively small and usually need not berecaptured.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear. hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 isa view in elevation illustrating the device;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view therethrough;

FIG. 3 is an end view, looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section illustrating a modification;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating application to a shower pipe; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view illustrating how the valve rings aremaintained firmly in position in their seats.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a base 10 providing asupport for a yoke 'or the like 12, the latter having a pair ofupstanding arms (see FIG. 3) journalling a pair of swivel-pins 14thereon for mounting a housing 16 for a rocking action thereof. Thehousing 16 provides a support for the reciprocating piston rod assembly18 which has an exhaust port or pipe 20 connectd thereto. At itsopposite end in an enlargement as for instance at 22, the housing 16provides a fixed support for a cylinder 24 which may be securely mountedthereon as for instance by the bolts 26 mounted in an end cap 28 so thatthe cylinder is firmly secured in fixed relation to the housing 16.

Housing 16 at the enlarged portion 22 thereof is provided with an inletfixture at 30 to which is connected a water or other fluid supply pipe32 having a valve 34 and also a pressure indicator if that is desired orconvenient; and the water supply continuously provides fluid underpressure through fitting 30 into the interior of the cylinder 28.Preferably the piston rod assembly is slidably mounted in a bronzebushing or similar slide bearing 36 which itself may be provided withU-cup washers 38 at each end thereof as well as with retaining rings orthe like as at 40. The piston rod assembly as shown in FIG. 2 may beclosed by means of a piston rod cap 42 which in this case may mount byany desired means a clevis or the like 44 for connection to the elementwhich is to be reciprocated as for instance as shown in FIG. 5, to belater described.

At its inner or opposite end, the piston rod assembly is closed by meansof a piston cap 46 having mounted in this case centrally thereof ahollow piston screw 48, the same providing a water passage into theinterior of the piston assembly for exhaust through the fitting 20.

The piston screw is conveniently mounted in a piston member which isgenerally indicated at St) and the piston screw 48 fixedly connects thepiston member 50 to the piston cap 46 and hence to the piston assembly.

The piston element 50 is provided with an O-ring 52 which surrounds anopening at 54 forming a passage to the interior of the piston assembly,and this O-ring is actually a valve seat closed by a rear plate valvemember 56 by being pressed against the O-ring by the rear valve springat 58.

The accurate positioning and holding of the O-ring 52 is extremelyimportant inasmuch as it will be seen that,

this valve is closed merely by the valve plate 56 coming to rest flatlyagainst the O-ring, and this is achieved by peening or turning thematerial of the piston member 50 as illustrated at 58 in FIG. 6 tofirmly grip the O-ring at a point above the diameter thereof, wherebythe O-ring is firmly held in a very accurate co-planar position so thatthe valve may be cleanly and positively closed off during the operationof the device.

There is also provided a front platevalve member 60 which is centrallyapertured at 62 and surrounds a boss 64 at the forward end of pistonmember 5 0 (see FIG. 2). This front plate valve is mounted on aplurality ofpins 66 which extend through the piston member 50 and areconnected to the rear. valve plate 56. Each pin 66 is provided with aseparator bushing 68 which serves to space the front and rear valveplates 56 and 60 and they are held together by the pins 66 which may bethreaded and screwed into the front valve plate 60 as clearly shown inFIG. 2.

The pins 66 extend through relatively enlarged through openings 70 inpiston member 50 which are surrounded at the front face thereof bysmaller O-rings 72 which may be held in position as for instance asabove described with respect to the Q-ring 52.

It will be noted that the front and rear valve plates 56 and 60 arespaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the valveseats provided by the respective O-rings 52 and 72 and that thereforewhen one Valve is closed, the other valve is open. In FIG 2, the frontvalve is shown open and the rear valve is shown as closed. Surroundingthe piston assembly there is a spring 74 this being the frontvalve-closing spring, spring 58 being the rear valve-closing spring.

The operation of the actuator is as follows: The water or fluid undercontrolled pressure being received through fitting 30, flows into thecylinder 24 surrounding the piston assembly 18 but not entering the sameby reason of the fact that spring 58 maintains rear valve plate 56 inclosed condition with respect to O-ring 52, and this forms the onlypossible passage for the fluid into the interior of the piston assembly.On the other hand, however, the fluid passes into and through thepassages 70, front valve plate 60 being open, and the water pressuretherefore is exerted at the rear of the piston member 50, moving theentire piston assembly to the right in FIG. 2.

When the rear end of spring 74 is encountered by plate 60, the latter ismoved relatively rearwardly with respect to piston member 50, closingvalves as indicated by ring 72 and opening the valve of which O-ring 52is the seat, and therefore the fluid pressure is directed against theforward surface of the piston member '50, moving the entire piston rodassembly back to the left again, until once more the spring 58 contactsrear valve plate 56 and closes the same against the O-ring 52, againopening the valves at 72. During the rearward travel, the fluid passesthrough the piston member 50 into the piston rod and is discharged at20, but during the forward travel, i.e., to the right in FIG. 2, thereis no fluid discharge.

Referring now again to FIG. 5, there is shown a device of the classdescribed set up to oscillate a shower pipe at 76 on a pair of slidebearings 78' or the like. The reference numeral 80 indicates the nozzlesand the pipe at 82 is the supply for the water for the shower head. Theoscillator, depending upon the fluid pressure at fitting 30 slowly andcontinuously oscillates the shower pipe and provides for a veryeflicient spray as will be clear to those skilled in the art, the clevis'44 providing for connection to the fitting at 84 on the shower headassembly.

A modification of the device is shown as in FIG. 4 wherein the housingat 86 is mounted on a yoke 88 without the use of any swivel pins and thesame maintains the housing in position by reason of the reduced portionthereof as defined by shoulders 90 and 92. In construction andoperation, the showing in FIG. 4 is substantially the same as thatdescribed above with respect to FIG. 2, but in this case the piston rodassembly being indicated at 94 is made very much more solid andstronger, being a solid bar except for the central passage 96 for theescape of the exhaust fluid.

The same reference numerals have therefore been used in large part toillustrate the invention in FIG. 4 but in this case there is no clevison the piston rod, but instead there is a fixed, firm, integral bracketmember 98 to which may be bolted as at 100 a heavy weight such as adoctor 102. These doctors weight from 75 to 2,000 pounds and aresupported directly by the piston rod assembly as shown in the presentcase; the doctors however. are provided with slide bearings at theopposite ends thereof so that the piston rod 94 bears one-half of theweight of the reciprocating doctor.

It will be seen that this invention provides a very eflicient,inexpensively operated oscillator which is extremely rugged inconstruction and long-lasting in operation. It may be made to oscillateanything desired but is particularly adapted to the paper-makingindustry for the reciprocation of parts such as shower-heads, pipes, anddoctors. as above described, and it is particularly useful where thereis a supply of water and where directly poweroperated cams, yokes, etc.,and other mechanical devices taking up a greater space are apt to becomerusted and easily thrown out of operation due to the moisture in theatmosphere, etc.

If valves or springs should fail they may be quickly and easily changedin a very few minues merely by removing plate 28 in FIG. 2 or the cap104 in FIG. 4. This cap serves as a cylinder but is completely removableif desired.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we donot wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise thanas set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

l. A device of the class described comprising a housing, a cylindersecured thereto, a piston-rod assembly slidably mounted in said housingand extending into said cylinder, a fluid communication passage from thebottom of the cylinder into the interior of the piston-rod assembly, thelatter being hollow, a compressible valve ring surrounding the orificeof the passage, a single piston fixed to the piston-rod assembly, saidvalve ring being mounted in said piston, a rear valve-closing plate forcontacting the ring and closing the valve opening, a series of smallervalve openings passing completely through said piston, a ringsurrounding each said last-named openings, and a single annular frontvalve-closing plate for contacting said lastnamed rings simultaneouslyclosing the same, said valve plates being rigidly connected, means forshifting said valve plate assembly for closing one valve and opening theseries of valves, a source of fluid under pressure entering saidcylinder and applying pressure to one side of the piston for moving theentire piston-rod assembly in one direction and upon actuation of saidvalve assembly for closing the valves at the front plate and opening thevalves at the rear plate, applying pressure to the other side of thepiston to force the piston-rod assembly in the opposite direction, andmeans carried by said piston rod assembly to be oscillated thereby.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a base, a housingswivelly mounted thereon, a slidable pistonrod assembly slidably guidedin said housing, a cylinder connected to said housing, said piston-rodassembly extending into said cylinder, an apertured piston-plate memberon the piston-rod assembly located in the cylinder at the lower endthereof, a spring in the bottom of the cylinder and another spring inthe top of the cylinder, the latter spring surrounding the piston-rodassembly. the piston-rod assembly, the piston-rod being hollow, apassage between the bottom end of the cylinder and the in terior of thepiston rod, a valve plate closing said passage under influence of thespring in the bottom of the cylinder, a second valve plate at theopposite side of said piston plate member, the last-named valve plateserving to close the apertures, means rigidly connecting the valveplates and extending through the piston-plate member from one sidethereof to the other, said valve plates being rigidly connected foroperation by the respective springs for opening and closing the samealternately to apply pressure at opposite sides of the pistonalternately in order to reciprocate the piston rod under influence offluid pressure entering the cylinder, and means at the opposite end ofthe piston rod for carrying a member to be oscillated thereby, saidopposite piston rod end being exposed and extending from the cylinder.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the member to be carried comprises adoctor of considerable weight, said weight being supported one-half bysaid piston rod, and a slide bearing cylindrical in form located in saidhousing and closely engaging the exterior surface of the piston rod andsupporting the same.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each valve opening is surrounded byan O-ring of compressible nature, an annular groove receiving theO-rings, and means firmly anchoring said O-rings in position so that theexterior surfaces thereof are co-plauar and parallel to the respectivevalve plates adapted to contact the same.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each valve opening is surrounded byan O-ring of compressible nature, an annular groove receiving theO-rings, and means firmly anchoring said O-rings in position so that theexterior the bottom of their grooves, said O-rings extending how- 5 everpartly outwardly of the grooves for fiatwise co-planar contact by theirrespective valve plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS KnechtOct. 14, 1879 Coflield Dec. 12, 1905' Forman Aug. 31, 1937 Gardner Sept.2, 1952 Schmitt Dec. 16, 1952 Alfieri Dec. 8, 1953

